Stress...?

[finnyskink]

I'm worried about Finny being stressed.

Her gums started bleeding a little a few weeks ago, so we took her to the vet (they don't thinking anything is really wrong, maybe vitamin K deficiency, but not mouth rot). First thing that would cause stress.

They recommended feeding her more insects instead of more cat food since she's a bit fat, so we bought some yesterday. I had to put her in a separate feeding tub, which she didn't like and didn't eat any crickets. I then took her out to explorer my room, and I had to pick her up 3 or 4 times throughout, and she eventually peed on my hand. Second thing.

Today, she didn't come out of her hide at all and didn't touch the food I gave her. Even worse, my little brother's friend came over so the house was very loud while Finny was asleep.

And tomorrow, I have to move her to a different enclosure for a day or two as we're fixing Finny's tank (fixing the size and improving the setup and substrate). I'm afraid moving her to a different enclosure will stress her out even more.

I'm just afraid this house isn't the best for her if she's going to be stressed all the time, though I know we can't get rid of her (and I wouldn't want to!), and I'm hoping that when school starts and the house will be quiet for most of the day, that will keep her from being more stressed...

[Richard.C]

what species is it

they probably feel most comfy eating in there enclosures

the bleeding gums issue could also be from biting things in cage,often they attempt to taste test things and some species seem a bit more fragile with bleeding gums then others,for instance,northerns in my eyes often seem sensative

food wise id be more inclined to think dog or even cat food is a more well rounded diet,dog being generally better based for omnivours though,if shes fat then reducing amounts per feed and or feeding frequency is a better idea

in saying that though,can you pop some pics up,be easier to see condition from pics than descriptions

[finnyskink]

what species is it

they probably feel most comfy eating in there enclosures

the bleeding gums issue could also be from biting things in cage,often they attempt to taste test things and some species seem a bit more fragile with bleeding gums then others,for instance,northerns in my eyes often seem sensative

food wise id be more inclined to think dog or even cat food is a more well rounded diet,dog being generally better based for omnivours though,if shes fat then reducing amounts per feed and or feeding frequency is a better idea

in saying that though,can you pop some pics up,be easier to see condition from pics than descriptions

She's a Blue Tongue. I'll get pics if she comes out today.

[Dood]

Please post a picture of the bleeding gums, or even just wipe her mouth with a white paper towel and show us the bloody saliva

Brief History from previous posts - Finny is a mature Irian Jaya who has shedding issues (especially with her eyes and is missing several toes) and has had on and off health concerns since her young owner got her in May of this year.

What food are you feeding her?

Are you adding any vitamin or mineral powders?

What is the humidity of her enclosure?

What substrate/bedding are you currently using in her tank?

[finnyskink]

Please post a picture of the bleeding gums, or even just wipe her mouth with a white paper towel and show us the bloody saliva

Brief History from previous posts - Finny is a mature Irian Jaya who has shedding issues (especially with her eyes and is missing several toes) and has had on and off health concerns since her young owner got her in May of this year.

What food are you feeding her?

Are you adding any vitamin or mineral powders?

What is the humidity of her enclosure?

What substrate/bedding are you currently using in her tank?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to wipe the blood off since she always just pushes her head away and the bleeding is so little. But I'll try to get a pic.

Food is a quality brand wet cat food (but I think we'll switch to dog food), with varied greens, veggies, and sometimes fruits if we have them. Trying to feed her crickets (she tried to eat them when the crickets were in their box, but when I put her in a separate feeding tub she just freaked out).

Vitamins are a calcium/vitamin D3 powder that I put on her food every other week, and now I'm putting Vitamin K supplement on her food which the vet gave us.

Humidity is usually 30-60, depending on how much I mist it.

The substrate is cypress mulch though we're going to add coconut fiber in her new setup.

[Dood]

I think cat food has too much protein for her and would try and switch her to a dog food with added veggies and some fruit, I think you mentioned you've read the post about feeding BTS. You can alway freeze it in ice cube trays or ziplocks if your worried about it going to waste or feeding a high quality dog food to your cats once in a while won't kill them or cause taurine deficiency

Crickets are not really necessary and should be offered as a treat, I'm very surprised your vet recommended them, are they a reptile specialist or general practitioner?

I would try and prevent her humidity from dropping below 60% or give her a full time humid hide box so she can hydrate herself as needed, this should help prevent stuck sheds and her damaging herself when trying to remove them. You can also moisturize her skin with vitamin E oil

Vitamin K can be deadly if overdosed so closely follow the veterinarians instructions - it is used to help thicken the blood as it is a key component of natural clotting factors. Animals with liver disease often have clotting disorders and will bruise and bleed very easily

Once the vitamin K treatments are over you might also want to consider giving vitamin A, a single drop of cod liver oil in her food once a month should supply enough but will also supply vitamin D

Bleeding gums is not normal and I worry she has something systemic going on - if she didn't get the best nutrition or care in her youth she may have some organ damage that might be causing the blood and if she doesn't feel well her behaviour will be affected

[finnyskink]

I think cat food has too much protein for her and would try and switch her to a dog food with added veggies and some fruit, I think you mentioned you've read the post about feeding BTS. You can alway freeze it in ice cube trays or ziplocks if your worried about it going to waste or feeding a high quality dog food to your cats once in a while won't kill them or cause taurine deficiency

Crickets are not really necessary and should be offered as a treat, I'm very surprised your vet recommended them, are they a reptile specialist or general practitioner?

I would try and prevent her humidity from dropping below 60% or give her a full time humid hide box so she can hydrate herself as needed, this should help prevent stuck sheds and her damaging herself when trying to remove them. You can also moisturize her skin with vitamin E oil

Vitamin K can be deadly if overdosed so closely follow the veterinarians instructions - it is used to help thicken the blood as it is a key component of natural clotting factors. Animals with liver disease often have clotting disorders and will bruise and bleed very easily

Once the vitamin K treatments are over you might also want to consider giving vitamin A, a single drop of cod liver oil in her food once a month should supply enough but will also supply vitamin D

Bleeding gums is not normal and I worry she has something systemic going on - if she didn't get the best nutrition or care in her youth she may have some organ damage that might be causing the blood and if she doesn't feel well her behaviour will be affected

The vet was a reptile specialist. She didn't necessarily suggest crickets, she just suggested more bugs/snails instead of wet food. Crickets were just the easiest thing for us. Is there anything else we could do for the organ damage besides the Vitamin A?

[Dood]

Without bloodwork there is no way to know which organs might not be working properly and what to do to help them.

Wait and see if the vit K helps and if the bleeding recurs after you've finished the treatment I'd take her back for more work

[alichamp]

We are still waiting for current photos of finny - can you post some?